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Steel fibers have a significant toughening effect on cement-based materials. In order to address the issue of relying solely on experimental evaluation of their bending toughness, a numerical analysis method based on the steel fiber bridging theory has been proposed. By establishing a crack extension criterion for fiber-reinforced cement-based composite materials based on the balance between the stress intensity factor generated by external loads, steel fibers, and matrix cohesion at the crack tip and the fracture toughness of the composite material, the toughness of the composite material is evaluated. Through steel fiber-matrix pull-out tests, the bonding characteristics of four types of steel fibers, namely shear, milling, short hook, and long hook, with the matrix are analyzed. A program is then developed using Ansys software APDL language for numerical simulation of the bending and cracking process of the notched beam of the steel fiber-reinforced cement-based composite material. The obtained load-deflection curve and bending toughness index are compared with the results of the notched beam bending test, thereby validating the correctness of the numerical analysis method. The results show that the bending toughness of steel fiber-reinforced cement-based composite materials is closely related to the volume fraction of steel fibers and their bonding characteristics. The balance relationship of the stress intensity factor at the crack tip is the key factor determining crack propagation, and the proposed numerical analysis method can effectively assist in the analysis of the bending toughness of steel fiber-reinforced cement-based composite materials.

The effects of 75μm wollastonite microfibers on the workability, mechanical properties and shrinkage properties of cementitious composites were studied by mechanical and shrinkage tests. The results show that the addition of microfiber reduces the fluidity of fresh mixture, but appropriate content can still meet the needs of self-compaction. WF has no gain effect on the compressive strength of the mixture, but when the dosage is 20%~30%, the flexural strength and tensile strength can be significantly increased by 87% and 28%. The shrinkage test indicates that WF has a good inhibiting effect on shrinkage deformation. It can be used as a good mineral admixture in ECC.

Hypertension is a major health burden worldwide. However, there is limited data on the status of hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) and established cardiovascular (CV) disease in Chinese hypertensive patients. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of HMOD and established CV disease in a nationally representative population in China. A stratified multistage random sampling method was used in the China Hypertension Survey and 21,243 participants aged 35 or older were eligible for analysis in this study. For each participant, the demographic information and a self-reported medical history were acquired. Blood pressure was measured with the electronic device 3 times on the right arm, supported at heart level, after the participant was sitting at rest for 5 min. Samples of blood and urine were tested. 2-D and Doppler echocardiography were used to assess the heart’s function and structures. Sampling weights were calculated based on the 2010 China population census data. Overall, the weighted prevalence of asymptomatic HMOD was 22.1%, 28.9%, 23.1%, 6.4%, and 6.2% for wide pulse pressure, left ventricular hypertrophy, microalbuminuria, chronic kidney disease, and abnormal ankle-brachial index, respectively. For the established CV disease, the weighted prevalence was 1.8%, 1.3%, 2.0%, and 1.1% for stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, respectively. The prevalence of asymptomatic HMOD and established CV disease was greater with higher blood pressure level (P

Recently, the emergence of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology makes it possible to solve biological problems at the single-cell resolution. One of the critical steps in cellular heterogeneity analysis is the cell type identification. Diverse scRNA-seq clustering methods have been proposed to partition cells into clusters. Among all the methods, hierarchical clustering and spectral clustering are the most popular approaches in the downstream clustering analysis with different preprocessing strategies such as similarity learning, dropout imputation, and dimensionality reduction. In this study, we carry out a comprehensive analysis by combining different strategies with these two categories of clustering methods on scRNA-seq datasets under different biological conditions. The analysis results show that the methods with spectral clustering tend to perform better on datasets with continuous shapes in two-dimension, while those with hierarchical clustering achieve better results on datasets with obvious boundaries between clusters in two-dimension. Motivated by this finding, a new strategy, called QRS, is developed to quantitatively evaluate the latent representative shape of a dataset to distinguish whether it has clear boundaries or not. Finally, a data-driven clustering recommendation method, called DDCR, is proposed to recommend hierarchical clustering or spectral clustering for scRNA-seq data. We perform DDCR on two typical single cell clustering methods, SC3 and RAFSIL, and the results show that DDCR recommends a more suitable downstream clustering method for different scRNA-seq datasets and obtains more robust and accurate results.

As an intelligent response system, self-healing anticorrosion materials containing nanocontainers have aroused increasing demands. It is highly expected that the nanocontainers can rapidly respond on corrosion signals to efficiently release corrosion inhibitors, meanwhile to avoid an undesirable leakage before the local corrosion happening. Herein, zinc oxide quantum dot (ZnO-QD)-sealed hollow mesoporous TiO

With the aging of the population, the senior people’s quality of life has become a hot issue in China and even in the world. This study, with emotion as the core, evaluated the senior citizens’ quality of life in the form of scales to explore the relationship between emotion and human health. Artificial intelligent identification system has developed rapidly in this society and has made great contributions to the development of human society. Combining artificial intelligent identification system with medicine will contribute to the development of human public health, which is of great significance and value.

Objective This study aimed to examine the latest prevalence of abdominal obesity in China based on nationally representative data. Methods A stratified, multistage, random sampling method was used to obtain a nationally representative sample of residents aged ≥ 18 years from 31 provinces in mainland China from October 2012 to December 2015. Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference ≥ 90 cm for men and a waist circumference ≥ 85 cm for women. Results The data of 441,306 participants were analyzed. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 29.1% (28.6% in men and 29.6% in women); the number of adults with abdominal obesity was estimated to be 277.8 million (approximately 140.1 million in men and 137.7 million in women). The prevalence of abdominal obesity varied considerably among provinces. In general, the prevalence of abdominal obesity was higher in the northern, lower in the southern, higher in the western, and lower in the eastern areas of China. Besides the regional disparities, the prevalence of abdominal obesity varied greatly among different population subgroups. Conclusions Abdominal obesity is highly prevalent among Chinese adults. National and provincial obesity control and prevention strategies should be public health priorities in China. To better control obesity, the underlying reasons for the regional disparities need to be addressed.

Summary The output of genetic mutant screenings in soya bean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] has been limited by its paleopolypoid genome. CRISPR‐Cas9 can generate multiplex mutants in crops with complex genomes. Nevertheless, the transformation efficiency of soya bean remains low and, hence, remains the major obstacle in the application of CRISPR‐Cas9 as a mutant screening tool. Here, we report a pooled CRISPR‐Cas9 platform to generate soya bean multiplex mutagenesis populations. We optimized the key steps in the screening protocol, including vector construction, sgRNA assessment, pooled transformation, sgRNA identification and gene editing verification. We constructed 70 CRISPR‐Cas9 vectors to target 102 candidate genes and their paralogs which were subjected to pooled transformation in 16 batches. A population consisting of 407 T0 lines was obtained containing all sgRNAs at an average mutagenesis frequency of 59.2%, including 35.6% lines carrying multiplex mutations. The mutation frequency in the T1 progeny could be increased further despite obtaining a transgenic chimera. In this population, we characterized gmric1/gmric2 double mutants with increased nodule numbers and gmrdn1‐1/1‐2/1‐3 triple mutant lines with decreased nodulation. Our study provides an advanced strategy for the generation of a targeted multiplex mutant population to overcome the gene redundancy problem in soya bean as well as in other major crops.

All-dielectric metasurfaces have attracted extensive attention because of their ability to control electromagnetic waves with low loss. However, compared with the research on the physical basis of a single nanoparticle controlling electromagnetic waves, foundational research on the influence of the periodicity of all-dielectric metasurfaces on their control of electromagnetic waves is still insufficient. Thus, the aim of this article is to further explore and emphasize the effect of the periodicity of metasurfaces on their optical performance and their electromagnetic response and coupling, and to describe how the above theoretical exploration can be employed for designing devices. We first explore some optical performance caused by the periodicity of cube silicon metasurfaces in the near-infrared band and reveal that these phenomena cannot be explained by the Mie resonances of the single nanoparticles composing the metasurfaces but by the lattice resonance theory and guided-mode resonance filter theory. Then, the influence of the periodicity on the electromagnetic response and coupling in the metasurfaces are analyzed via the multipole expansion method. We emphasize that the electromagnetic coupling between array nanoparticles enhances dipole and octupole radiation in the metasurfaces and analyze how the radiation is enhanced. We also study some phenomena and applications caused by the guided-mode resonances for future design. The results of this study may have potential applications in lasers, reflectors, absorbers, detectors, and other fields, and provide theoretical basis for the design of specific performance devices by adjusting the size of metasurfaces related to periodicity.

Background The epidemiology of valvular heart disease (VHD) has changed markedly over the last 50 years worldwide, and the prevalence and features of VHD in China are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the current status and etiology of VHD in China. Methods We used a cross-sectional national survey with stratified multistage random sampling from the general Chinese population to estimate the VHD burden. Data on demographic characteristics, medical history, physical examination, blood tests, and potential etiology were collected. Echocardiography was used to detect VHD. Results The national survey enrolled 34,994 people aged 35 years or older across China. Overall, 31,499 people were included in the final analysis, and 1309 participants were diagnosed with VHD. The weighted prevalence was 3.8%, with an estimated 25 million patients in China. The prevalence of VHD increased with age and was higher in participants with hypertension or chronic kidney disease than in their counterparts. Among participants with VHD, 55.1% were rheumatic and 21.3% were degenerative. The proportion of rheumatic decreased with age, and the proportion of degenerative rose with age. However, the prevalence of rheumatic disease was still higher in the elderly population than in the younger population. Logistic regression revealed that age and hypertension were correlated with VHD. Conclusions In China, rheumatic heart disease was still the major cause of the VHD, with a significant increase in degenerative heart disease. Age and hypertension are important and easily identifiable markers of VHD.

Various microbes have proved to be closely related to the pathogenesis of human diseases. While many computational methods for predicting human microbe-disease associations (MDAs) have been developed, few systematic reviews on these methods have been reported. In this study, we provide a comprehensive overview of the existing methods. Firstly, we introduce the data used in existing MDA prediction methods. Secondly, we classify those methods into different categories by their nature and describe their algorithms and strategies in detail. Next, experimental evaluations are conducted on representative methods using different similarity data and calculation methods to compare their prediction performances. Based on the principles of computational methods and experimental results, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of those methods and propose suggestions for the improvement of prediction performances. Considering the problems of the MDA prediction at present stage, we discuss future work from three perspectives including data, methods and formulations at the end.

Drug similarities play an important role in modern biology and medicine, as they help scientists gain deep insights into drugs’ therapeutic mechanisms and conduct wet labs that may significantly improve the efficiency of drug research and development. Nowadays, a number of drug-related databases have been constructed, with which many methods have been developed for computing similarities between drugs for studying associations between drugs, human diseases, proteins (drug targets) and more. In this review, firstly, we briefly introduce the publicly available drug-related databases. Secondly, based on different drug features, interaction relationships and multimodal data, we summarize similarity calculation methods in details. Then, we discuss the applications of drug similarities in various biological and medical areas. Finally, we evaluate drug similarity calculation methods with common evaluation metrics to illustrate the important roles of drug similarity measures on different applications.

Chronic exposure to high altitude may lead to hyperuricemia. We investigated the prevalence of hyperuricemia and its risk factors among employees in high-altitude areas. A cross-sectional survey with cluster sampling was performed at 23 worksites on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Subjects were evaluated by using questionnaires, anthropometric and laboratory measurements, and abdominal ultrasound. A multilevel logistic regression model and restricted cubic spline were used to explore the associated factors of hyperuricemia. Of the 4198 employees included in the study, the age-standardized prevalence of hyperuricemia was 28.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 26.7-29.5), with 31.9% (95%CI 30.2-33.6) in men and 17.9% (95%CI 15.7-20.1) in women. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and a meat-food pattern were positively associated with hyperuricemia in both sexes, while diabetes, shift work, body mass index, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and low intake of fruits and vegetables were significantly associated with hyperuricemia only in men. Furthermore, a nonlinear dose-response association between the number of cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) and hyperuricemia was observed. Compared with those having 0 CRFs, the full-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95%CIs for 1, 2, and ≥ 3 CRFs were 1.76 (95%CI 1.25-2.47), 2.54 (95%CI 1.81-3.55), and 3.05 (95%CI 2.16-4.31) in men, respectively, and 2.13 (95%CI 1.43-3.17), 2.78 (95%CI 1.71-4.53), and 3.13 (95%CI 1.50-6.55) in women, respectively. Hyperuricemia is common in employees at high-altitude areas. However, working at higher altitudes does not mean necessarily higher risk of hyperuricemia, as dietary factors and clustered CRFs are more significant. Thus, workplace-based lifestyle modifications should be promoted.

IMPORTANCE: A workplace-based intervention could be an effective approach to managing high blood pressure (BP). However, few studies to date have addressed hypertension control among the Chinese working population. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a workplace-based, multicomponent intervention strategy on improving BP control. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cluster randomized clinical trial of a hypertension management program was conducted from January 2013 to December 2014 in 60 workplaces across 20 urban regions in China. Workplaces were randomized to either the intervention group (n = 40) or control group (n = 20). Employee participants in each workplace were asked to complete a cross-sectional survey. Data analysis on an evaluable population was conducted from January 2016 to January 2017. INTERVENTIONS: The 2-year intervention included 2 components: (1) a workplace wellness program for improving employees’ cardiovascular health and (2) a guidelines-oriented hypertension management protocol with a community health center intervention accompanied by monthly visits for achieving BP control over a period of 24 months. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was the change in BP control rate from baseline to 24 months among employees with hypertension in the intervention and control groups. The secondary outcomes were the changes in BP level and lifestyle factors by the end of the trial. RESULTS: Overall, 4166 participants (3178 in the intervention group and 988 in the control group) were included (mean [SD] age, 46.3 [7.6] years; 3451 men [82.8%]). Blood pressure control rate at baseline was 19.5% in the intervention group and 20.1% in the control group. After 24 months of the intervention, the BP control rate for the intervention group compared with the control group was significantly higher (66.2% vs 44.0%; odds ratio, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.58-2.00; P

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of arrhythmia, which is a significant public health issue. We aimed to determine the disease burden of AF in China. We used a recent national survey with stratified multistage random sampling from general Chinese population to estimate the AF disease burden, which enrolled 34,994 people aged 35 years or older all over China. The AF patients were detected by electrocardiogram during the survey or medical history taking. The quality of life in AF patients was assessed by a questionnaire similar to EQ-5D to estimate the weight of disability. Disability-adjusted life years was then calculated by adding years of life lost to years lived with disability. Overall, 31,230 samples were included in the final analysis, the weighted prevalence of AF in the Chinese population aged 35 years or older was 0.71%. Thirty-four percent of AF patients were newly diagnosed in the survey and unaware of their pathological condition beforehand. The prevalence of AF significantly increased with age. The health-related quality of life was impaired in Chinese AF patients with an overall utility value of 0.53. The total disability-adjusted life years of Chinese AF patient is estimated to be 665,400. In conclusion, the disease burden of AF in the general Chinese population was a significant public health issue in China.

A microlens array (MLA) is a key optical element in light-field imaging, but surface errors caused by manufacturing defects can result in the loss and deviation of light-field information transmission. To address this issue, we establish a local error model for an MLA arranged in a matrix form, and develop a method for identifying error microlenses based on image quality evaluation indexes. The local imaging characteristics and degradation mechanism of three basic errors are analyzed through simulation. The local errors on different microlenses cause different degradations of the corresponding sub-images, and the trend of change in light-field image quality is related to the error type, error value, and error direction. The simulation results also verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method and models.

Light field imaging, which is one of the noncontact flame measurement methods, can capture and record multiangle radiative intensity information of a flame through a single shot. After the postprocessing and integration of the flame information, the three-dimensional reconstruction of the temperature and radiative properties can be achieved. However, the diversity and universality of the reconstruction parameters make the reconstruction process complex and redundant. Therefore, the order of priority in which the radiative properties (attenuation coefficient, scattering albedo, and scattering phase function) of a flame influence light field imaging should be analyzed by simulation. This study aims to simplify the reconstruction process by simulating the light field imaging of nonuniform temperature distribution using a previously developed multifocus plenoptic camera model. In addition, a quality evaluation system is established to quantitatively analyze the optical influence of different radiative properties in the flame medium on the light field imaging process. The following conclusions are drawn by analyzing the aperture image of the flame with different radiative properties: (1) The attenuation coefficient should be the first priority for the reconstruction of the radiative characteristic parameters of the flame. (2) The scattering albedo should be the next consideration for ensuring high reconstruction precision. (3) For the scattering phase function, the only consideration is whether it is more affected by either isotropy or anisotropy.

A microlens array (MLA) is a key optical element for four-dimensional light-field analysis in a light-field camera. MLA manufacturing errors affect light-field imaging, but their effects, especially on the physical imaging process and image-degradation mechanism, have not entirely been studied. In this paper, we develop a manufacturing-error model for MLA and quantitatively analyze raw images and refocused images using image quality evaluation indexes. The results indicate that manufacturing errors cause changes in image features including brightness, resolution, and spot position. The image-features undergo changes and the degree of degradation caused by different error types showed great differences.

A strategy to prepare natural polysaccharide-decorated pGMA-DVB by grafting dextran groups was proposed for the development of efficient protein chromatographic separation. Prepared pGMA-DVB microspheres were covalently decorated with dextran through a three-step scheme. Firstly, residual vinyl groups on polymer particles were converted to epoxy groups. Secondly, one layer of dextran was covalently coupled on the microspheres by reacting with epoxy groups in solvent. Thirdly, multi-layer dextran was grafted to microspheres in alkali aqueous solutions. The dextran-decorated microspheres named pGMA-DVB-Dextran were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscope, and protein adsorption experiment. Consequently, compared to several commercial hydrophilic beads such as Sepharose® 4FF and POROS® OH, the permeability and hydrophilicity of the modified microspheres were improved, the contact angle decreased from 153° to 0°, and nonspecific adsorption of proteins was decreased to zero. The covalently drafting amount of dextran onto pGMA-DVB was increased to 241.86 mg/mL microspheres, and the dextran layers were stable after washing with 1 M HCL/NaOH solutions. Functional ligands such as Protein A or DEAE coupled to pGMA-DVB-Dextran can be conveniently used to separation model protein, IgG or BSA, with > 99.5% recovery yield and high dynamic binding capacity, respectively.

Objectives Obesity has become a global health public problem. The study aims to examine the latest prevalence of overweight and obesity in China. Methods Data came from the China Hypertension Survey (CHS), a nationally representative cross-sectional study among residents aged ≥18 years from October 2012 to December 2015. Overweight and obesity were defined as 25 ≤ BMI Results The data of 441 306 participants were analyzed. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 28.1% and 5.2% respectively. The prevalence of overweight and obesity varied considerably across provinces. The prevalence of overweight was the highest in Beijing, which was 2.8 fold of the lowest in Guangxi (40.9% vs. 14.6%). The prevalence of obesity was the highest in Tianjin, which was 9.4 fold of the lowest in Hainan (12.2% vs. 1.3%). There was a striking north-south gradient with the prevalence higher in Northeast and Northwest China and lower in Southeast China. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that sex, age, education, smoking, marital status and family history of cardiovascular disease were significantly associated with overweight and obesity. Conclusions Overweight and obesity are highly prevalent among Chinese adults, and their prevalence varies greatly among different population subgroups and provinces. National and provincial obesity control and prevention strategies should be public health priorities in China.

Microlens array (MLA) errors in plenoptic cameras can cause the confusion or mismatching of 4D spatio-angular information in the image space, significantly affecting the accuracy and efficiency of target reconstruction. In this paper, we present a high-accuracy correction method for light fields distorted by MLA errors. Subpixel feature points are extracted from the microlens subimages of a raw image to obtain correction matrices and perform registration of the corresponding subimages at a subpixel level. The proposed method is applied for correcting MLA errors of two different categories in light-field images, namely form errors and orientation errors. Experimental results show that the proposed method can rectify the geometric and intensity distortions of raw images accurately and improve the quality of light-field refocusing. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons between images before and after correction verify the performance of our method in terms of accuracy, stability, and adaptability.

The over-activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is a typical immune response to injury. Previous work has suggested that controlling the over-activation of TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB may represent a new therapeutic option for diabetic kidney disease (DKD). 1,25(OH)

Background Data regarding the metabolic risk factors clustering on the risk of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction ( LVDD ) are lacking among people living at high altitude and under hypoxic conditions. In this study, we explored the association between metabolic risk factor clustering and LVDD among the Tibetan population of China. Methods and Results We conducted a cross‐sectional survey in a representative sample of 1963 Tibetans in 2014 to 2016. Grading LVDD was based on recommendations for the evaluation of LV diastolic function by echocardiography (2009). The prevalence of LVDD among 1963 participants (mean age: 51.51 years, 41.11% male) was 34.39%. Odds ratios (95% CI ) of LVDD for the 1, 2, and 3 to 5 risk factors clustering were 1.45 (0.96–2.17), 2.68 (1.8–3.98), and 2.9 (1.9–4.43), respectively ( P for trend LVDD was much more pronounced in the middle‐aged group than in the elderly ( P for interaction=0.0170). High altitude was one of the major independent risk factors for LVDD ; however, habitation altitude had no significant effect on the association between metabolic risk factors and LVDD ( P for interaction=0.1022). The multivariable dominance analysis indicated that abdominal obesity, hypertension, and elevated blood glucose were the significant contributors to LVDD . Conclusions There was a significant positive association between the metabolic risk factor clustering number and LVDD among a population living at high altitude, especially in middle‐aged adults. However, habitation altitude itself has no significant effect on the association between metabolic risk factors and LVDD .

The over-activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is a typical immune response to injury. Previous work has suggested that controlling the over-activation of TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB may represent a new therapeutic option for diabetic kidney disease (DKD). 1,25(OH)2D3 has also been shown to exert a protective effect on DKD, although the mechanism involved has yet to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether 1,25(OH)2D3 protects against DKD by down-regulating the innate immune TLR-NF-κB pathway. NRK-52E cells were cultured under normal or high-glucose conditions. We then used siRNA to knock down TLR4 expression under high-glucose conditions. NRK-52E cells cultured under high-glucose conditions, and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, were treated with different doses of 1,25(OH)2D3 and used as in vitro and in vivo models, respectively. Renal biochemical indicators were then measured to evaluate the influence of 1,25(OH)2D3 treatment on DKD in diabetic rats. Histological analysis was also performed to determine the extent of infiltration by inflammatory cells and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Using RT-qPCR, western blotting, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence, we determined the expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB p65, MCP-1 and α-SMA to investigate whether 1,25(OH)2D3 could reduce the development of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Knocking down TLR4 abolished the tubulointerstitial fibrosis caused by high-glucose conditions. High doses of 1,25(OH)2D3 consistently reduced the expression of TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB in NRK-52E cells. Moreover, high doses of 1,25(OH)2D3 had an obvious protective effect on kidney injury and inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in diabetic rats. In conclusion, high doses of 1,25(OH)2D3 protected against tubulointerstitial fibrosis both in vitro and in vivo by downregulating the expression of TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB.

To take full advantage of combination therapy of Docetaxel (DTX) and Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MGIG), the pharmacokinetic- pharmacodynamic- toxicodynamics (PK-PD-TD) interaction of DTX and MGIG in non-small cell lung tumor-bearing mice was investigated in the present study. A model, an integrated semi-mechanistic PK-PD-TD, was established for elucidating the exposure-effect-toxicity relationship between DTX and MGIG. A tumor growth and a transit compartmental system were applied to imitate the growth and death of tumor cell. An indirect model with precursor-dependence was induced to clarify the temporal relationship between liver injury and drug exposure. No PK interaction between DTX and MGIG in plasma, liver and tumor was observed. In PD and TD results, MGIG had no antitumoral activity on non-small cell lung carcinoma, while it showed a strong hepatoprotection on DTX-induced liver injury. The PK-PD parameters of anti-tumor effect were related with the tumor growth characteristics, the kinetics of the tumor death and drug potency. In the PK-TD model, it was estimated about the elevation rate of ALT after DTX challenge in hepatocytes as well as plasma. MGIG reduced the DTX-induced ALT release rate from hepatocyte efficiently. Based on parameters estimated via PK-PD-TD correlation, the model successfully predicted the tumor growth kinetics and hepatoprotection at different dose regimes. Therefore, this prospective model might provide an alternative approache to the optimization of new experiment design.

Estrogen receptor-β005 (ER-β005) is a novel compound developed by our group; however, its application has been greatly hindered due to its low solubility. A nanosuspension of insoluble drugs is a nanoscale colloidal dispersion that has extremely higher drug-loading compared with other nanomedicines. In this study, nanosuspensions of ER-β005 (Nano-ER-β005) stabilized by a food protein, β-casein (β-CN), were prepared via an antisolvent-precipitation method to improve oral absorption and thus promote therapeutic efficacy. Nano-ER-β005, which has a diameter of 110nm and drug-loading of 50%, was developed. Analyses of fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectra demonstrated a strong interaction between β-CN and drug particles in Nano-ER-β005, indicating that β-CN is a potent nanosuspension stabilizer. The oral bioavailability of Nano-ER-β005 was 1.6-fold greater than that of raw drug particles. Additionally, ER-β005 was confirmed to have a strong therapeutic effect against pain reactions in animal models, and inhibition of this effect was significantly increased with Nano-ER-β005 treatment. In conclusion, by using β-CN as a stabilizer, nanosuspensions of ER-β005 were developed and oral absorption was enhanced. Moreover, ER-β005 is a powerful drug that inhibits pain reactions, and its therapeutic efficacy was markedly increased in the Nano-ER-β005.

In order to explore the polarization-dependent continuous 2π phase control mechanism of nano-antennas and to provide theoretical bases for the subsequent design of polarization beam splitters, unidirectional radiation antennas, and other devices, we design a trapezoidal nano-antenna structure with high transmission efficiency and polarization-dependent continuous 2π phase variation under the wavelengths of 600–1000 nm. Then we analyze the relationship between phase control and the excited electric/magnetic dipoles and quadrupoles under different linearly polarized incident light beams. The results show that, in the y -direction, the antenna mainly realizes polarization-dependent continuous 2π phase control at the wavelengths where the first Kerker's condition is satisfied. As the antenna's unidirectional angular radiation is mainly achieved by compensating the wavefront phase, based on the above analysis, the relationship between the maximum radiation angle of unidirectional angular radiation and the excited electric/magnetic dipoles and quadrupoles in the antenna is further analyzed. Finally, we also briefly consider the influence of the structural sizes of the designed antenna on the resonances and coupling of the excited electric/magnetic dipoles and quadrupoles under different linearly polarized incident light beams for future applications.

Yue Qin,1,* Suning Li,2,* Gan Zhao,2,* Xuanhao Fu,1 Xueping Xie,1 Yiyi Huang,1 Xiaojing Cheng,3 Jinbin Wei,1 Huagang Liu,1 Zefeng Lai1 1Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, 2Department of Pharmacy, The Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 3Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Numerous studies have demonstrated promising application of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in drug delivery, diagnosis, and targeted therapy. However, the adverse health effects resulting from intravenous injection of SWNTs are not completely understood. Studies have shown that levels of “pristine” or carboxylated carbon nanotubes are very high in mouse lungs after intravenous injection. We hypothesized that long-term and repeated intravenous administration of carboxylated SWNTs (c-SWNTs) can result in persistent accumulation and induce histopathologic changes in rat lungs. Here, c-SWNTs were administered repeatedly to rats via tail-vein injection for 90 days. Long-term intravenous injection of c-SWNTs caused sustained embolization in lung capillaries and granuloma formation. It also induced a persistent inflammatory response that was regulated by the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway, and which resulted in pulmonary fibrogenesis. c-SWNTs trapped within lung capillaries traversed capillary walls and injured alveolar epithelial cells, thereby stimulating production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta) and pro-fibrotic growth factors (transforming growth factor-beta 1). Protein levels of type-I and type-III collagens, matrix metalloproteinase-2, and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 were upregulated after intravenous exposure to c-SWNTs as determined by immunohistochemical assays and Western blotting, which suggested collagen deposition and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. These data suggest that chronic and cumulative toxicity of nanomaterials to organs with abundant capillaries should be assessed if such nanomaterials are applied via intravenous administration. Keywords: lung fibrosis, carbon nanotubes, capillary embolization, inflammation, NF-κB

Both drug injection and sexual transmission are the primary drivers of the HIV epidemic in China. This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of intention of consistent condom use during sexual intercourse with female regular partners (RP), non-regular partners (NRP) and sex workers (FSW) among male people who inject drugs (PWID)in China. A total of 529 male non-institutionalized PWID aged 18-45 years with negative/unknown HIV status were recruited by multiple methods in Dazhou and Hengyang, China. The constructs of the pre-intention phase of the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) Model, including partner-specific HIV risk perception, condom use positive outcome expectancies, condom use negative outcome expectancies, and self-efficacy of condom use, were assessed. The prevalence of behavioral intention of consistent condom use with RP, NRP, and FSW was 32.1%, 49.1%, and 63.6%, respectively. In multivariate stepwise analysis, conditional risk perception of HIV transmission via unprotected sex with RP/NRP/FSW was associated with intention of consistent condom use with these types of female sex partners (multivariate odds ratio (ORm) = 3.25-7.06). Condom use negative outcome expectancies were associated with intention of consistent condom use with RP and NRP (ORm = 0.30-0.46), while condom use self-efficacy was associated with intention of consistent condom use with RP and FSW in the next six months (ORm = 2.24-3.81). Male PWID are at high risk of HIV transmission through sexual behaviors. The pre-intention phase of the HAPA model may be applied to plan interventions to increase behavioral intention of consistent condom use with various types of female partners. Such interventions are warranted.